Saturday, September 26, 2015

THE KILLING KIND got a nice mention in the Toronto Star alongside the latest from Lee Child, Hakan Ostlundh, and my pal John McFetridge. They called the book "freewheeling" and "inventive and specific in its ferocity." I'll take it.

And finally, I took part in the #30Authors blog event this year, in which thirty authors each write a guest-post on a book blog recommending a novel. I chose Stuart Neville's excellent THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND. Today, at Fourth Street Review, that post went live. Many thanks, Rory, for lending me the blog space!

And in other other news, if you live in Maine, watch 207 tonight (WCSH, 7PM) to catch my televisual debut! I chat with the lovely and talented Caroline Cornish about THE KILLING KIND. Will I faint? Throw up? Both? Tune in to find out!

Also, if you're a Mainer and you're reading this, be sure to tune in to 207 this Friday (September 25) at 7PM for my chat with Caroline Cornish! This interview marks my TV debut, unless you count that time somebody from the local news stuck a mic in my face when I was little and asked me what I liked about playing youth hockey. (Note: I haven't run that hazy memory past my parents, so there's a chance I'm making it up.)

There are often moments in my writing career that make me shake my head with disbelief and smile. Getting a rave review from NPR is one such moment. And to make that moment even sweeter, said review comes courtesy of Jason Heller. I've been a fan of Jason's writing since the early days of the AV Club, and I've bought loads of books and music on the strength of his reviews. Here's a taste of what he had to say about THE KILLING KIND:

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

As of today, THE KILLING KIND is officially out in the US, wherever books are sold. I've waited a long time to type those words. Now that the day is finally here, I couldn't be happier.

It's only mid-morning as of this writing, but my release day's already been pretty nuts. THE KILLING KIND was, briefly, a trending topic on Twitter. Reviews, interviews, and well-wishes are coming fast and furious. I'm sure I'll fail to thank someone along the way, but not for lack of trying.

Here's a (doubtless partial) roundup of release-day coverage:

Dan Malmon wrote a fantastic review for Crimespree Magazine, in which he said:

Many thanks to Dan and the whole Crimespree crew; Katrina, Jordan, Lisa, and Adam at The Life Sentence; Elizabeth; and everyone who's blogged, shared, reviewed, retweeted, or bought the book. And extra-special thanks to these fine folks, without whom I wouldn't be where I am today.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Today, I woke up to a text from my mother that read, "Put a Sunday paper on your front stoop." I was pretty sure it was a declaration, not an instruction, so I looked outside... and found out that not only did THE KILLING KIND get a rave in today's Maine Sunday Telegram, said rave took up three-quarters of their Books page!

Here's a link to the digital version, so you don't ruin your eyeballs trying to read that photo. Many thanks to Mike Berry, who wrote the review, and my mom, who enthusiastically delivered it by dark of night.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Two posts in one day? Insanity! But news is coming fast and furious now that release day's nearly upon us. Here's the latest: The Strand Magazine included THE KILLING KIND in its roundup of September Reads. So what'd they think?

Friday, September 04, 2015

Yesterday, I received a copy of the final US version of THE KILLING KIND. It's my first hardcover release, and it's as gorgeous as I've come to expect from Mulholland Books—sleek, modern, and eye-catching.

There is, however, something missing. Namely, my acknowledgments.

These things happen. Putting together a book is a complex process. Now and again, something's bound to fall through the cracks. And I'm assured my acknowledgments will appear in later editions. But in the meantime, I thought I'd share them here. THE KILLING KIND traveled a long and winding road to publication, and many have helped it on its way. It'd be a shame if their efforts were to go unrecognized. So, without further ado...

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A few years ago, Steve Weddle, editor of Needle: A Magazine of Noir, asked if I’d be interested in contributing a short story. I pitched him a couple ideas, and he pushed me to write the more ambitious of the two. The resulting story, “The Hitter,” was nominated for an Anthony Award, appeared in THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2011, and served as the basis for THE KILLING KIND. I think that means I owe Steve a drink.

Otto Penzler and Harlan Coben, editors of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2011, deserve my thanks, too. Their faith in “The Hitter” played no small part in my decision to write THE KILLING KIND.

Shepherding Hendricks from short story to novel wasn’t easy—that guy’s not one for taking orders—but thankfully, I had some help along the way. THE KILLING KIND would be a pale shadow of itself without the guidance and wisdom of my agent, David Gernert, and my editor, Josh Kendall. Their fingerprints are all over its strongest moments, and I’m a better writer for knowing them.

David’s team at The Gernert Company has been a dream to work with—Ellen Goodson and Anna Worrall in particular. The same goes for the fine folks at Mulholland/Little, Brown—most notably Pamela Brown and Sabrina Callahan. And Ruth Tross of Mulholland UK has proven a delight as well.

I’m extremely grateful to Megan Abbott, David Baldacci, Chelsea Cain, Hilary Davidson, Joseph Finder, Simon Kernick, Owen Laukkanen, Stuart Neville, and Marcus Sakey for their early support of this novel—and to the crime fiction community at large for embracing me as their own and championing my work for years. It’s a hell of a thing to realize you’ve found your tribe.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my family—Burns, Holm, and Niidas—for their unflagging support; rarely has a loved one’s life of crime been so readily embraced.

And finally, my deepest gratitude to my wife, Katrina, who helped set me on my true path and continues to light the way. Humbling though it is for this writer to admit, words fail to express how much that means to me.